Sakaki Chizuru

Operation 21, 275 minutes in

Sadogashima Hive, underground

"—shit-shit motherfuckin- Tangos on my back, Ayamine!"

"—head… tilt down." She gave the simplest of orders which Chizuru obligated.

From her rear-view camera, Chizuru saw Ayamine performing a clean sweep over her hind, scrapping two Tank-class off her Mount Pylon with her rifle. Then before Ayamine was done recoiling from her maneuver, Chizuru shot out two more Tank-class trying to land on her adversary's frame.

"…You got me, right?"

"They're dead, unlike you."

"Guess that's true, good job."

"Uh-huh, we synced." Chizuru nodded sparingly to her partner.

By the skin of their teeth, the lost Element once again narrowly absconded from another deadly encounter with the ever-so unhappy monsters. However, prolonging their lives didn't make the situation any less dire, luck wouldn't be forever on their side.

Cutting valiantly across the tunnels dug by the BETA, two flashing Shiranui Seconds danced on the thin line between life and death. Any miscalculations would no doubt result in an instant and brutal death, if one were fortunate. The alternative to a swift demise was the unvarying fate of being chewed to pieces by the man-eaters.

That was not very pleasant sounding to either of the STF Eishis, a common point of bargain for them both.

Chizuru pulled and pushed her sticks in perfect tempos to avoid some additional BETA aiming to land on her TSF; if it wasn't for her slip-up last time, she would have kept a flawless record of being untouched by the falling Tanks. Now Ayamine had gotten away with that lead as well, Chizuru was just not having her day.

"There's no end to these bastards, they're literally covering every inch of the Hive walls!"

"…What's twelve inches long, stiff, and often every hard when—"

"Can you please… SHUT THE FUCK UP!" An utterly baffled Chizuru imagined that Ayamine somehow found this time appropriate for her disgusting joke.

"I mean- calm down…"

"AS I WAS SAYING! Watch out from above, Ayamine, don't let them drop on you!"

"I think… yup, Hall's opening up ahead, should give us more breathing room." Back to seriousness Ayamine went, the temporary team-leader was moderately thankful.

"There's a Shaft coming up soon, Ayamine! We'll settle this the old way then?" Now was the moment to decide again, and that choice must come down fast.

"Let's do this…"

"Ready… set…! Rock, paper, scissors— damn it!" It was all luck based, Chizuru told herself.

"Up we go…"

"We're seriously wasting time like this, Ayamine! Just listen to me and go down! We're returning back to the same level we started on at this point!" Unknown to the trolling girl, Chizuru was being sincere this time around.

"How about… no?"

"Ayamine, then let's split up. There's no point to this." Sometimes, enough was enough.

Ayamine's 94 Second stopped in its tracks, something the glasses girl didn't think would be reality, especially for someone who couldn't stand a Hive's convoluted interior for any longer.

Although she didn't bail right away at least, that was a good sign of things to come.

"Wait… what? You know we can't do that." Of course Chizuru understood the minimum allowed TSF unit was two, but there were exceptions to every rule.

"We're plainly not getting anywhere at this rate, either head up for the surface or head down for the reactor. If we stall anymore there won't even be enough fuel for us to go anywhere, let's choose once and for all, Ayamine."

"But what about…"

"There's no time. Three options; my way, your way, or our own ways. You decide."

The following glare was so sharp diamonds wouldn't stand a chance if it could shear, Chizuru gave Ayamine her real genuine look to force a outcome before it all became meaningless. The raven-haired girl struggled to repay that stare but crumpled soon after from the pressure.

"…I… don't want to die…" She repeated her deepest desire, her deepest weakness.

"I promise, you won't." Was their firm bond adequate to overcome a personal fear? In a strange way, this was the ultimate test of their unfriendly friendship.

"Okay… let's take a dive." Funny how Ayamine was never the one irresolute, it had always been either yes or no.

"Ayamine, thanks. One more thing, give me your S-11." They were almost done, Chizuru silently swore.

"What…? Why?"

"If we do end up in a pickle, and I mean a very real mess; I'll throw your bomb in whichever direction opposite to where we wanna run at, should give us time to haul ass before detonation. Let's just hope the timer on that thing isn't broken or anything." It was a feasible plan, Chizuru studied the S-11 control and radius to know her facts.

"But… why not use your own?"

"Do you really want a suicide device strapped between your legs?"

"…Unnecessarily sexual." Chizuru wasn't the one who picked where their bombs were placed.

"You know what I'm saying."

"Alright, take it off me." Again, Ayamine spared no second thought.

Accepting the orange container from Ayamine's hand, Chizuru hooked it on her broken knife sheath for carrying. It was surprisingly a good fit, she assumed a swing of the storage pod would probably deliver the bomb right to her hands. A nice emergency exploit in case she needed access to that explosive fast.

"Let's go then, find that Reactor."

"We go down, down, down. We all go down together~"

"…Aha! I understood that reference!"

"…Did you really?"

"No, absolutely not."

Isumi Michiru

Operation 21, 277 minutes in

Sadogashima Hive, A-02 collapse point

"—in conclusion, the biggest problem you'll face is in the case that Shirogane isn't present and the XG is non-functional, then someone else will have to go with you to recover the 00 unit and input all the passwords. Let's pray that doesn't happen, yes?"

"—I hear you clearly, ma'am."

Of course Michiru knew what she must do, the manual for XG-70's external control was pretty much burned into her mind. The airlock code, the lift performance, the autopilot code, and worst-case scenario, the self-destruct code. She remembered it all.

"I won't tell you how to manage your people, Isumi. That's your duty… and your burden. I'll continue assisting you from here, the fleet will be retreating outside the tsunami range in case we do have to blow up the Susanoo, so make sure to plan enough time for everything and tell me anything, got that?"

"All copy, ma'am." Seeing this was the end of their conversation, Michiru shot XO Kouzuki a firm salute.

"And Isumi… I am sorry for asking you of this… but you know what's at stake here. Do what you have to." Before Michiru could give a hesitant reply, the channel was terminated ahead of her words.

Michiru closed her eyes, under the total blackness generated by her eyelids, she allowed her imagination to run wild; it was happy days she reminisced, how their future could turn out to be if everyone made it off this island alive. It was a pathetic dream she saw, a dream she was too weak to make true.

Shielded by a moment in her own world, Michiru wiped away a meek teardrop crawling down her cheek. She could easily throw away her live for the assignment's completion, that stayed true for her men's lives.

"—Valkyries 1 to all units, return to your TSFs, we're moving out."

"—moving out? Are we extracting from here, Captain?" Kazama asked the toughest enquiry foremost as she conveyed a relieved gratitude.

"…Negative, we're advancing into the Stab in search for the XG-70."

Speechless faces, all around her were expressions stunned beyond words. There were no arguments Michiru wanted to present in her defence, this betrayal should be hers alone to carry.

"But Captain… our wounded—"

"-Can Asakura be loaded into anyone's TSF?" She didn't permit Kazama to finish.

"…Yeah, but a TSF's movement can easily shake the shrapnel and worsen her cut! It's still stuck in her lung!" Yoroi was there to contribute a dubious response.

"That'll have to do, move her into yours or Kazama's fighter. Put Kashiwagi back in hers as well, we'll put her unit on autopilot until she wakes up." The apprehension on her Eishis' faces was steadily turning to suspicion.

"Capt. Isumi… what about Misae-san? We can't passenger her in a TSF, you know that." Their already heavy atmosphere gained even more weight as Kazama donned a humourless mien.

"Kazama… I'm really sorry for this… it's something we must do."

Michiru could hear the noise of crumbling hearts, or maybe that was the sound of destroyed friendship, she wasn't sure. What she was certain was that Kazama definitely wanted to attack her, and would have succeeded if it wasn't for her drawing first.

And now, Michiru stood perfectly still with her feature absolutely voided of any emotion. Kazama was frozen in her heated steps by the cold barrel of Michiru's pistol, the appearance she displayed was still between disturbance and horror, albeit it was rapidly favouring the latter.

"CAPT. ISUMI! How could you!?" Kazama screamed, never before had she ever showed such wide range of desires. Yoroi was dumbfounded behind her, unsure of the proper action to cease their infighting.

"Everyone… has their roles, the battlefield is just that unforgiving, you know that as well as I do, Kazama."

"BUT-but-! Why're we going down there then!? Can't we take them to safety first!?"

"There is no time, we have to finish our mission as soon as possible."

"CAPTAIN! You can't do this to her! You can't just LEAVE HER HERE!" Michiru could tell, Kazama was slowly being pushed to the edge.

"…Achieve your mission with all your might. Despair not till your last breath. Make your death count."

The Second Lieutenant was again taken back by Michiru's reminder; the Valkyries' creed, she surely didn't forget that. Along with the tear Michiru finally couldn't hold in, her subordinate's anger dissipated into the icy air.

"Captain… Isumi."

"I won't let her… be taken by their horrid claws… so this is my duty as everyone's leader… I'm so sorry, Kazama." Cocking the hammer and aiming at her real target, Michiru found her hands trembling uncontrollably at the sight of a moaning Munakata.

She would have to do it; this wasn't a choice, it was dreadfully inevitable for their circumstances. Michiru stepped in closer to Munakata, the fresh tears she cried already dried up by the sight of her handgun's irons.

"Munakata… guess you're right, huh." The prone girl said nothing back; either exhaustion from the pain or the futility of a reply was stopping her mouth.

Although she did react, so fast Michiru almost missed it. Munakata winked at her, using her left eye.

"…Sorry, it'll be quick. At this range… I won't miss." No words left to exchange, now or ever again.

"—extreme procedure is unneeded, un-recommended, unbeneficial, un-advantageous and unfriendly. Immediate reconsideration is advised."

Cutting into their brutally despairing moment, it was none other than Yashiro's deadpan voice suggesting otherwise to Michiru's deed. And with the help of Kagami's crimson Berkut, she effectively stopped their coup de grâce momentary.

"What-!? 1st Lt. Yashiro! Get out of my way or speak! What do you want!?"

"A suggestion."

"You have a better idea or something?!" Did Michiru fill her shout with a dose of sarcasm? She wasn't sure why even if she did.

"Correct, if I am allowed to speak, Captain." The statement itself had no tone whatsoever, but Michiru somehow heard confidence, perhaps because she longed for there to be still a way out.

"Go ahead."

"This Su-47 Berkut is imbedded with an Esper pod from its previous usage and has not been removed after our amalgamation, I highly suggest relocating 1st Lt. Munakata within the pod for safe relocation."

"Will that… will that work…?"

"Affirmative."

So simply came the solution to their inherently bloody dilemma, was the answer just sitting in front of Michiru's view all along? She couldn't believe it, she was so dead set on mercy killing Munakata without first seeking for anymore alternatives. How shameful had she acted before her loyal juniors?

It was still very far-away; the thought process between her and Shirogane.

"Can you actually fit her in there!?" But for the time-being, she had no reason to refuse this ray of hope.

"I am eighty-two percent sure of this transfer, please act immediately to prevent further time loss."

By her command, the Berkut kneeled down to Munakata's side, its arm stretching to the ground and forming a path between the injured and its cockpit. Nonetheless, there was one topic which caught Michiru's attention like no other, the presence of Kagami couldn't be detected within the control seat.

"Yashiro… just where is Kagami?"

"Irrelevant subject is to be ignored."

"Irrelevant!? But she's the—"

"-Irrelevant subject is to be ignored."

"No! I'm serio—"

"-Irrelevant subject is to be ignored." Michiru gave up on pursuing Kagami's whereabouts, the unmoving Yashiro could probably keep that going longer than her.

"Is it this pod in the back, Kasumi-san?" Yoroi was heading into the Berkut for an inspection of the pod.

"Yes, the buttons are to your left, look low."

"Capt. Isumi, I am highly in consent of 1st Lt. Yashiro's proposition. This should at least give her a chance… or else it's just too sad of a way to end." Kazama stepped into the setting, her calm cobalt eyes was reflecting Michiru's doubtful demeanour.

"Okay, this pod is big enough to fit 1st Lt. Munakata! We'll manage a bend recovery position!" Yoroi updated them with nothing but good news.

"Captain, will you accept?" In reality, this wasn't even up for debate.

"Yeah, let's do this."

—

"Unnrngg… that was… close, eh?"

"Seriously, stop talking. What kind of joke is it gonna be if you still die from this?" It wouldn't be funny at all.

Munakata weakly nodded to Michiru as she finalized the posture for their W.I.A, a soft smile from her was the last thing Valkyries 1 saw before shutting down the lid like how Yashiro instructed. She quietly promised herself this wouldn't be their last meeting, not for a long time.

Michiru had so many questions brewing through her brain; the strange capsule device embedded in the Su-47, the missing Kagami who supposed to have piloted the Berkut up to that point, her strange inclination of not searching for a substitute compared to putting down Munakata. It all seemed so irregular, it was all such a blur.

None of mattered for the time, Michiru must be solely focused on surviving if anybody wanted an opportunity to live on.

"—Yashiro, I closed the cover, are you sure the oxygen tube works with that?"

"—positive, oxygen is automatically inflated from tanker." If that was what she avowed.

"Good. Yoroi, Kazama, get Asakura in here too."

"—roger." Her and Shirogane's subordinate agreed simultaneously.

Michiru watched from the sideline as the two girls collaborated together to assist their third injured teammate into the Soviet weapon. Asakura barely stood her ground when she walked with both girls support her weight, her every step was tipsy and every bump on the road pained her body.

"Captain… I'm really… sorry." Through her haggard breathe caused by lung damage like Munakata, Michiru's soldier apologized to her, as the First Lieutenant.

"Take it easy, we'll get you out, no worries."

It didn't take long to fasten Asakura in the pilot seat of the Berkut, Yoroi and Kazama were done under a minute after going inside. Seeing how the preparation for departure had concluded, Yashiro remotely commanded the 47 back on its feet.

"Let's board up too, people. The sooner we find the XG, the better." Michiru was all ready to leave, she didn't want to waste a second longer.

"—Captain, additional suggestion." However, the rabbit girl wasn't done with them in the slightest.

"—what else you got in mind, Yashiro?"

"Recommend a divergent mission overview from original, goal is to minimize risk and maximize survivability." Somehow, Michiru wasn't so fast in shutting down a new offer.

"Let's hear it."

"Instead of sending the entirety of this interim Squadron into the Hive, it is more favourable for a detachment to seek medical aid for our W.I.A first. 2nd Lt. Mikoto and I will enter the Stab in search of Capt. Shirogane while your Flight can extract 1st Lt. Munakata, 2nd Lt. Asakura and 2nd Lt. Kashiwagi."

When came out of Yashiro's mouth was so typical of a strategy from someone like Shirogane, Michiru honestly couldn't deny she wasn't all to staggered by her advice. From an ideal point of view, it made most sense to split up their manpower so all objectives could be accomplished with the tiniest time loss.

"Wait a minute here, Yashiro. Are you saying we disobey the Professor's order?"

"She'll understand us." Michiru wasn't so willing to place her bet on that proclamation.

"I really don't see that happening, Yashiro. Besides, where're we gonna take them anyway?"

"A supply line from seashore to frontline is currently being reconstructed by Whiskey front. Multiple TSF Assault ships are constantly ferrying between the 2nd Fleet and Mano Bay, exact coordinates are transmitted via data-link." And Michiru saw the long string of numbers shorty after.

"…How do you even know all this?"

"Real-time satellite imagining, I have access."

"To what?"

"Classified." Again, a classic Shirogane excuse.

"Then why don't Kazama and I go under instead?"

"I have a more accurate trace on the Susanoo's position."

"What? Really!? Where is it right now?"

"Subversive stratums thirteen, Coordinates are 8, 04'21.7"N 13, 20'47.9"E. 782.65 metres below sea-level." If what Yashiro reported was true, that information was priceless in aiding their mission.

"Where did you get that number?"

"Classified." This was starting to become a trend.

"Yashiro, even if this plan gets working, you're mad if you think XO Kouzuki isn't going to court-martial us if we do this."

"She does not have to know of our deviation." To be fair, that wasn't a lie.

"And how do you say we do that?"

"We will fake our markers with scramblers and jammers from 2nd Lt. Mikoto's F-22A's stealth tech, it will appear as if we are travelling together to the nearest Hive Gate until entry."

"And what? We'll have our marker off the whole time as we try to extract them?" Michiru wasn't bothering to count how many military laws that would break.

"Yes, after which you are free to intervene in combat as you please until we resurface from underground, then it is recommended to rendezvous with the Susanoo." It was an impeccable plan Yashiro mused, Michiru must admit it sounded wonderful on paper.

"No, the risk of that is too high. I need to correct something you said, Yashiro. We don't have a Squadron, we have a large Platoon. Since Kagami's TSF is used to transport our wounded, that leaves only you, me, Yoroi and Kazama as combat-able. And having the two of you go into the Stab is an Element is too dangerous."

"Calculated jeopardy is within acceptable range. We have a 32.84% chance of death, 48.29% chance of receiving disabling damage and 74.98% chance of receiving recoverable damage. Your group have a 14.35% chance of death, 32.85% chance of receiving disabling damage and 58.36% chance of receiving recoverable damage."

"All those numbers… where're you getting them from?" By no means was Michiru disregarding the incredible feat of Yashiro's precise estimation, but she never once believed the BETA to be anything near predictable.

"TSF simulation results, current battlefield statistics, current situational statistics, projected BETA movement formation, projec—"

"Don't you hear what you're saying here? The BETA's strength is their dicey attacks, and predicting how hard and where they'll be coming from is nothing other than a joke!"

"My information is assimilated from reliable reference."

"And what reference is that?"

"Classified." The girl didn't even flinch when she metaphorically spat in Michiru's face.

"You're—! There's no way I can go along with that, Yashiro! It's completely ridiculous! I don't have time for your nonsense! The faster we carry out our mission the more likely they're to survive! I'm cutting the comms."

"Wai—" Her dull tone was instantly terminated.

"—all units, check system and prepare to move out. Formation Square-1 with Su-47 in centre. We're heading for the nearest gate by these coordinates, up and away in sixty seco—"

"—Capt. Isumi, this narrow-mindedness is extremely unwise, please immediately consider my recommendation candidly." Yashiro wasn't done with her and carried their quarrel onto the public channel. Frankly, there was only so much stress she could withstand in one day.

"1st Lt. Yashiro! That's ENOUGH! What you're suggesting here is a PIPE DREAM! You talk as if the BETA isn't even a hazard to us! This's the exact same shit Shirogane goes on about all day! HE'S NOT HERE RIGHT NOW! I can't prioritize our medevac over the success of this entire operation! OVER THE GOAL OF ALTERNATIVE IV!"

First thing Michiru noticed after coming out of her emotional burst was the stunned expressions of Kazama and Yoroi, both girls had absolutely no clue what they discussed on their own so in a way, that reaction was deemed prudent. As for Yashiro, her same old poker-face was glued on to her feature, remaining totally unfazed by Michiru's rant.

Besides, how was everyone else so proficient at delivering a miracle on demand? How could they tread on with such childlike ideals? Not even a fairy-tale was so blatant as to speak of a happy end from the beginning. Just where did they gain such confidence in victory?

Michiru wasn't ashamed to admit she viewed everything realistically, the world was made up of possibilities and consequences to her. The simple risk/reward ratio remained true in her every decision, she never strayed far from the foolproof way of solving problems.

She walked every step of her life with fail-safes in place only for the sake of reassuring her lacking assurance.

"…Weakling." Cutting her inner monologue in half, it was one term Yashiro said that triggered Michiru's memories like nothing else.

"What… did you just call me?"

"Isumi Michiru, you are weakling. I cannot assert my disappointment is equal to my surprise, I have realized my foolishness in attempting to persuade you."

"How- you… why…?"

Impossible, did someone Michiru only rated as an acquaintance called her a weakling? She truly couldn't seal the gap between her lips right now. How dare she, how dare a mere First Lieutenant accuse her of feebleness and shortcoming, how dare she be so correct.

It was coming back to her in bulks; the memories she tucked away deep in her heart were mercilessly attacking what little self-reliance she built over the years. Michiru didn't want to remember it, that weakness of hers she couldn't defeat.

The weakness that was the constant envy she suffered during her childhood from the intimacy between her sister, Yayoi and her crush, Masaki. She always came in second in comparison to her oldest sister. No matter how much effort she resolved, how many attempts she endeavoured. Michiru always was the lesser of them two. She couldn't win Masaki's affection at all, so she eventually grew to avoid trying.

"…Ah-haha-ha… you're so right, Yashiro." The girl couldn't help but laugh, why must her mask choose this time to break apart on her?

"—1st Lt. Yashiro! Apologize to the Captain! You've said too much!"

"—Kasumi-san! You can't say that kinda stuff to other people! It's very not nice!" The two Second Lieutenants came to her aid, funny how they were at odds with each other just minutes ago.

"No, no- she's totally right. Yashiro, you're the only person other than Sgt. Jinguuji to call me that, and that was during my training days in 1996. You're really good at this, what else can you say about me?" Those in her defence stopped brusquely when Michiru confessed to being incapable.

"Capt. Isumi, you place a fictional price on everything in life. You see any action and reaction in gain and loss, a very calculating perspective to live by. You do not trust other's judgement as they often escalate the worth of personal attachment to where the equation is imbalanced, the return no longer equalling the cost."

Michiru stayed quite, so did the other two Eishis listening to Yashiro's breakdown.

"Yet you are afraid of high risk high reward outcomes, not wanting to take a gamble for an extraordinary payout in fear of losing everything. Thus you use logic and regulations as a shield for yourself to circumvent such verdicts. You mourn the dead, but do not miss them; you value your friends, but do not treasure them."

A long soundless pause froze the entire atmosphere surrounding the four stranded pilots, no convenient distraction took place to derail this painstakingly jaded dialogue. The weight of Yashiro's disclosure struck Michiru in full force, but it was not her first time meeting the truth.

"Well… I can't believe it, it's the same thing. You really are amazing, Yashiro. Those are pretty much what Sgt. Jinguuji told me, the identical points she made against me being a leader. And that's why I only excelled under XO Kouzuki, because she analyzes like I do."

"In that case, please run with my plan, Captain. I used to behave that way as well, but a life in perfection isn't being alive. What is the point of striving forward if the happiness and sadness all balances out in the end." How Michiru hoped for this to be a revelation to her, discovering a new meaning to her existence surely sounded fantastic.

However, she understood those facts better than anyone. She understood them for a long time now, even before being a Captain, even before her training squad all died.

"It's not gonna work, Yashiro. There's nothing you said today I didn't always know." Michiru's determination was set, because there was never any determination on this subject.

"I am sorry. It is futile, I hereby judge you deleterious."

And as easy as that, weapons of death were drawn. Yashiro wasn't remotely close to being at top speed when she attacked, but Michiru was in no condition to retaliate. A standing boost brought the Soviet Berkut right before hers, a rotating Motor Blade was already pointed at Michiru's cockpit.

"-What're you—! 1st Lt. Yashiro Kasumi! Lower your weapon!" Kazama only reacted seconds later, her assault rifle pointing directly at the white Su-47 wasn't sufficient in fixing to their standoff.

"Hu-HUH!? K-Kasumi-san! W-what're you doing!?" Yoroi turned baffled by the sudden intensification in arms, her Raptor stood inactive as she wasn't sure who to intimidate with her guns.

"1st Lt. Yashiro Kasumi, intentional mutiny is a war-crime punishable by death." Michiru was rather composed in her circumstances, she couldn't explain it herself.

"How many loops? How many times have we failed because of you, Isumi Michiru? Your cowardice, your inability to overcome causality. We- I suffered so many timelines due to you, one who does not believe in miracles deserves no miracles."

"What're you talking about?"

"Countless death, countless repeats because you didn't believe in my master. So many pointless demises born from your incompetence, so many wasted accomplishments spawned by your timidity. Isumi Michiru, you have always been the one with the lowest causality connection amongst us."

At this moment, Michiru was completely clueless to Yashiro's absurd rambling. There was zero hints of which could lead her to a concrete decipher of the girl's meaning. She used the word twice, causality; the Captain heard it before from XO Kouzuki's mouth, but a proper explanation wasn't an add-on.

"Are you going to stab me, Yashiro? Has all our disagreement led to this?" For her part, Michiru was unjustly peaceful when the mechanical buzzing noise of a chainsaw could be heard without her earpiece.

"It is all futile, Capt. Isumi. I do not wish to slay you here, that is an inconvenience at its most definite definition. I have gone past recommending a course of action, I am now demanding your compromise."

"So you're threatening me to go with your plan? You think this'll all work out?" Intimation never worked too well against Michiru, and she wasn't letting it start now.

"Look at me. Know that I will kill you if you refuse my order, and then shortly after will be my death by the hands of 2nd Lt. Kazama. That is the outcome with least causality connection, the least positive result."

The pair of irises captured by Yashiro's camera and projected into Michiru's vision was no different from how they had always been, and that in a way was her intention. Displaying dead eyes emptied of any emotion, Yashiro's character lend itself well to an onlooker's interpretation.

"…You're that determined to risk it?" What Michiru saw right then, were without question the eyes of a murderer.

"I am."

"Why? You don't even know Munakata and the rest that well, why jeopardize so much for a better possibility of saving them?"

"Because I do not wish for anyone else to die." Her judgement, daubed so thoroughly in irony Michiru couldn't find the sense of humour to laugh.

"But killing me is okay?"

"If I must, resetting this loop is an acceptable loss." She said that locution like it had a special meaning Michiru didn't discern.

"You keep talking about this loop and that loop, normal people can't understand that! Make yourself clear, Yashiro Kasumi!"

"I have exposed too much of our confidential matter already, you need not know more."

"This's why we're going nowhere! You keep talking like ther—"

"-I hereby present you an ultimatum, Captain. Execute by the strategy I designed, or die. We either take this chance at persistence or we will all die; right here, right now." The way she put it, there wasn't so much as a Planck length of room for dispute.

"You're serious, you're absolutely serious."

"I am incapable of sarcasm."

"…Okay, just so you know; everything we say is all recorded by our TSFs. I honestly don't think anyone here is getting away with this level of insubordination, me included. I'll see this plan through with you, Yashiro Kasumi, then we can fight it out in our jail cells once we go home."

To Michiru, there was a boundary on how far she handled pressure, and this whole debacle crossed it by miles.

"Thank you for understanding, Captain."

"Yeah… although I sincerely wish we won't be sharing a cell once we head back."

Yashiro Kasumi

Operation 21, 287 minutes in

"—Element C, light is green, outbound."

"—Arc 6, copy. Moving on your mark, Arc 3." Mikoto replied seriously, without her usual dose of nonchalantly.

Kasumi did not stick around for even a beat after her overall strategy was given to the four members left above ground, for all the colliding opinions she held about Isumi Michiru, there were roles she had to play before a complainer.

Leaving only a trail of dust in her wake, Kasumi and Mikoto's TSFs blasted to top speed from a stationary rocket boost. She clasped her mouth a bit and tilted her head back to ease the tremendous tension applied by the speed burst. They were away, setting out to reach the lost Takeru.

"Errm, Kasumi-san? You sure we'll be fine, right?"

"Potential threat is as indicated, 32.84% chance of death, 48.29% chan—"

"Yes, I heard that already, Kasumi-san. It's just with everything suddenly going sideways, I'm not sure if we're doing what we're supposed to." Without Arc lead's guidance, it became easy to lose sight of one's objective on this chaotic battlefield.

"We have our mission, find Takeru-san and connect him to our data-link, he won't be able to speak with the Professor otherwise."

"Wait, isn't it more important to find XG first?"

"They're one and the same, Takeru-san will be by the Susanoo." Kasumi declared positively.

"You're really optimistic about the chances, Kasumi-san! I always thought you only worked from facts alone."

"Correct, I do not contain any bias in my claims. He is there, and he is with the XG." What Kasumi didn't say was that their reality would cease to exist if something went wrong with Takeru.

"Okay! I'll trust you on that, I think it's important to be cheerful about our situation. If it can get any worse, we certainly don't want it to!"

"Favourable."

"By the way, I still think we should talk about this now… just what was that about earlier?"

"Request; restate your inquiry in full context." Kasumi didn't think of herself as dense, but whatever Mikoto brought up was outside her capability to associate.

"I'm asking about the whole deal with Capt. Isumi… do you… hate her?" Kasumi pondered Mikoto's question pragmatically, there was no one fixed answer to provide.

"I do not believe her to be a profitable leader for the sake of his objective."

"His-? Takeru's-?"

"Yes." Mikoto was slow on her second question.

"What is his objective, Kasumi-san?"

"Classified." There was a notch of guilt attached to not being able to reveal the entire narrative for the petite girl.

"Huum, you always say that, Kasumi-san. Then when will it be unclassified? When'll we earn your trust?" The time traveller's constant stance was challenged by a probing stare from the team's medic.

"It's… complicated."

"You know… I'm not good with all the secrecy stuff Takeru and XO Kouzuki have to deal with all day- like, they're impressive, I know. But really, there're just a lot of things we don't know about you guys; Takeru, Sumika-san and you. It's all hush-hush so we don't find out, it kinda hurts to be doubted."

The revelation from Mikoto was no news to Kasumi, this wasn't her first time being accused of withholding information or treacherous behaviour. Although in one way or another, it saddened the esper to hide so much truth from the ears of her age-long friends.

"I'm sorry, however the likelihood of you receiving and complying to our undisclosed statistics is outside acceptable range. It is deemed unbeneficial to divulge requested knowledge."

"Can you say that in a way I can understand? I'm sure everyone just want to know the truth!"

"You can't handle the truth." Kasumi practically repelled Mikoto's curiosity. It was a fact she had to face, nothing else to it.

"…Oh. I'm starting to see why the Captain wasn't having fun talking with you, Kasumi-san. How should I say it…? You're a bit… dismissive? You don't really like talking with others, do you?"

"I dislike all individuals equally… save for a specific few." Kasumi was a fair girl, at the minimum.

"Do you like me though!? We're friends, right!?" Mikoto looked to have picked up a better mood.

"…I reserve my comment." After consideration, Kasumi decided a kind lie wasn't worth the potential fallout if exposed.

"Huuuh! Now I'm a bit upset! Seriously though, is it because I'm a… difficult person?"

"You're a kind person, Mikoto-san. Please see me as the spiteful one."

"How's that true, Kasumi-san? You're a great friend to me!" The heartfelt confession lagged Kasumi's reaction.

"I… You're a highly valuable friend to me as well, Mikoto-san. However, I am not a good person, in no form or definition. Please remember that viewing me in a merciful light is a mistake with possible fatal outcomes." She couldn't lie to one of her most beloved ally, Kasumi knew her natural instinct better than anyone else.

"Well… I think it's sad we may never get to know more about you; I like you, Kasumi-san, you're important to me." Mikoto shined a bright smile her way, hoping to melt more of Kasumi's freezing sentiments.

"And you to me as well."

"Ahaa… here's praying we all make it back in one piece! It's a bit funny how only now I'm starting to feel a sense of danger here… earlier it was all laughs and jokes and… well, the realism is kicking in… is that a right sentence?"

"You're not incorrect."

"Ahaha… we really kinda ran dry of things to talk about, eh?" For a while, there were no new topics to be brought up.

"Indeed."

"Should be just focus for now?"

"Back in it."

Shirogane Takeru

Operation 21, 291 minutes in

Sadogashima Hive, underground

"—sensors are looking clear, think that was the last of them."

"—can confirm! The stragglers behind us have been eliminated too!" A trail of smoke was still leaking from Tama's barrel as she radioed in.

"—nice clean-ups, everyone. Should I get back to the story?"

"—yaaaay." A surge of monotone entered my ears with a crisp cut-off, although their lack of enthusiasm wasn't taken as a no.

"Alright, where was I…? Oh, right; so there I was, sitting in my wimpy-ass single engine motorboat just staring into the holes that should be this monster's eyes. Like- bloody bastard was huge; we all seen pictures of its head of whatever but let me tell you- when that fatty surfaced, the sun got covered out."

There was some interest being generated along the emotional tale of my many ventures, and it was by no means a bad legend in any sense.

"So we just looked at each other for a good minute; me, him, me, him. Until somebody got to break that damn awkward silence, so I mustered up all my courage- having not yet reached this level of badassery- I asked the thing: 'What the hell do you want?!"

I was receiving the attention I deserved now, the many sets of irises which seemed apathetic at first were unconventionally sneaking peeks my way. The girls were eager to hear my story, I was convinced of my engaging narration was capturing the concentration of many maidens.

"My introduction was probably taken as a provocation by that beast. Following an enormous howl like nothing I ever heard before, that monster swept its head down like a goddamn eagle. And in the most glorified and breathtaking voice a man could ever dream of, that thing said to me…" Pause for dramatic effect.

"-Said what? -What did it say!?" The general consensus spread amongst our band of Eishis was that my tale got enough attention to warrant a dedicated audience. These girls were legitimately impatient for me to continue.

"As it opened its curved mouth and unveiled its sharp teeth, the very first sentence my ears ever caught from its cry was: 'I-I need about tree fiddy."

"…"

…

"…"

"What's tree fiddy?"

"Three dollars and fifty cents."

"…"

Where were they making those faces?

"-AAAGHHRRRRGGGA!" A collected scream because my saga was simply too great for comment.

"And then I gave it three fifty, and it went back down again. What do you girls thi—"

"FUCK YOU! SHIROGANE! FUCK YOU!" Hayase loved it.

"You waste this much TIME and ENERGY telling a story about the Loch Ness Monster only to END IT LIKE THAT!? Capt. Shirogane! What are you EVEN DOING?!" So did Suzumiya.

"Why y'all looking at me like that!? It was Hayase who complained about being bored as all hell!" She absolutely complained like a bitch around the fourth time we used Sumika to take care of another group.

"And I told you to bring up something interesting! This's just bait!"

"Then you got hook, line and sinker-ed, woman! Come bite me!"

"What do you take me for, huh!? Think I won't jump over and slap your ass!?"

"GET SOME!"

Following our super kind and not-at-all deadly exchange of disputes, many of the pilots burst out either quiet or mild giggles.

"…Guys, to be fair, that was a pretty good anti-climax. I thought I was funny." Somebody from the Valkyries wasn't hating on me with their entire guts.

As we coasted along the dug path by the BETA, more friendly fights unfurled from my over-the-top joke. The girls were having a relaxed laugh inside our enemy's stronghold, that was a quality worthy of celebration. Albeit the dread and apprehension was probably only hidden, not erased, and the same could be said for me likewise.

How many Halls had we plunged through by now? Were we on the fifteenth or sixteenth layer? It was difficult to locate us beneath the endless bedrock, every other cave looked akin in structure. Even if the path we chose was relatively safe to travel, the stress of not knowing our destination was painful.

Nevertheless, our morale was healthy, and with the right attitude anything could be achieved— not really, but that was what my team wanted to imagine.

"—yo, Shirogane." An encrypted channel was linked to me, thankfully its caller had calmed down from her period rage.

"—Hayase."

"Thanks for that side-track, it was kinda a good story, truth be told."

"No problem, I deliver bullshit to whatever address you put down." The blue-head playfully leered.

"They should feel easier after hearing your made-up spiel, it was getting too tense otherwise."

I supposed calling our little performance staged wouldn't a bad example of the term, I agreed to acting out a fake spoof with Hayase after she deduced that our optimism was hurting a bit too fast to her liking. What was there to explain, my theatricals was just that good.

"You know, we always joke about you being a hot-headed tard and stuff but- you're actually smart and considerate, shout out to that, Hayase." I appreciated her fineness like any good buddy.

"Thanks, and you're not really a crazy asshole, just throwing that out there. Though I wouldn't consider you a saint unless you do me this one favour."

"Going for the blackmail so soon, Hayase?"

"Hey! It's not like that! I was just thinking about asking you for your control log once we get back!" What a sudden and random request.

"My precious are precious as diamonds, without them anyone can pilot like me!"

"C'mon, now. I won't take'em for free, you know?"

"How much you're willing to give?"

"About tree fiddy."

Now, it was around this time that I realized Hayase was actually seven stories tall and a crustacean from the Paleozoic era.

"Goddamn it, you Loch Ness monster! I ain't giving you no goddamn tree fiddy! Go get your own tree fiddy!" That was a wrap.

This was the true end of our drama, I looked at Hayase with goodly eyes and she stared back with the same goofy smile. It was unfortunate none of our other team members were there to enjoy the epilogue of my grand fiction.

"Ahahahahaha…! You liked that, woman?"

"~Hihihihi! So that's a thing now, huh? Nicely done, Shirogane. I really thoug—"

Her next syllable was stolen from the tip of her tongue out of the blue, Hayase's irises expanded implausibly large as if whatever content she beheld was beyond acceptance.

"Hayase…?"

"There's something… in that direction." Her indication was useless since the tip of her finger wasn't captured by the profile camera.

"What? Be specific here, mark it on your map for me to see."

"Right… I can do that." A couple of seconds later, my HUD was overlaid by Hayase's. Up ahead, there existed a fork on our route; one led downwards in a spiral formation whilst the other outwardly prolonged outside our sensors, a mysterious path, in other words.

"Whatsup? You wanna go forward instead of down?"

"It's… there's something at the end of that tunnel, I believe…"

"Huh… but that direction has a lesser chance of heading downwards compared to our preplanned course. I dunno, girl, might be wasting serious time going for that branch." For clear reasons, I was hesitant to opt for the longer way.

"But… there's just… something over there! I can't tell you why, I just know it! I recommend dispatch a detachment to probe it out, I volunteer." Extraordinarily, the fortitude reflected in Hayase's mien swayed my judgement extensively.

"Alright… I'll trust you on this one, let me call it for you."

"Thanks, and sorry if it turns up nothing." Not counting anything else happening today, having an apology from Hayase was a blue-moon event already.

"—all units, a temporary Element will be formed consist of me and Valkyries 2 to investigate a POI at the upcoming intersection. The regular until will continue along the preconceived route, no deviation in that regard. Keep comms clear and a rendezvous point will be assigned depending on the situation."

"—Arc lead, I volunteer to accompany your Element." Meiya asked for a ticket to the fun club immediately after my update.

"Negative, exclusive adventure only for us. You need to focus on vanguarding our caravan, can't have both SVs departing."

"…Understood, stay safe, lead." Hesitant, maybe; disobedient, not in the slightest.

"Have fun, Takeru-chan! Hayase-san thinks there's something special that way, despite not knowing what it is!" An actual informative message from Sumika, colour me shocked.

Noted, don't be driving our load into a ditch or something. I honestly couldn't come up with a better send-off than that.

"Roger, roger!"

"Let's go take a look, woman." My metal hand tapped Hayase's metal shoulder as a sort of reassurance, she just looked a bit out of it recently.

"Okay, on you."

—

"—36's out! Reloading mag!"

"—don't bother! Only a dozen left, hunt'em down with swords!"

"Alrighty, sounds good! On me!"

The question challenging us wasn't how many BETA we could put down, it was how fast we were handling these fools. Fortunately, there had been some good hustle so everybody could return home in time for supper.

"Slicing'n dicing! Four dead! Damn this American CWIS is some top-shit!"

After her compliment to my halberd, Hayase further proved her point with a proficient and cool-looking spin of my blade, also accidentally splattering the stained blood all over her surroundings.

"The fuck, dude?" Including me, actually, it was almost entirely over me.

"Sorry, didn't think that one through."

"Ahaa… we really need to work on that intelligence aspect of your character, woman." I could only sigh- also slay some more BETA, but mostly sighing.

"Hehehe! Don't mind, don't mind! Three more down! We're clear here!"

A factual claim was in place as Hayase chopped the head of the last surviving Grappler-class. On that front, the girl deserved praise for outperforming me in terms of confirmed kills, even if I wasn't trying my hardest.

"Great, let's have a look here then… don't think this hall goes any further after this turn, whatever you're so interested in should be after the corner."

"Ain't that the case? What do you think'll be here?"

"I dunno, you're the one who's so stubborn to coming here." I wasn't that against her favour of a detour.

"Could it be more of those podded brains?" Her question struck a nerve.

"Actually… that might be very possible." BETA always mastered their system of planting a surprise where we least expected one.

Scanning the tunnel all around us one last time, Hayase and I were hesitant to charge straight into a section of the enemy's domain. Nonetheless, somebody had to strive for that first step, and it was looking to be her job as the leading exporter.

"Arra, shit… not this again." The inside of the BETA's hole was familiar, all too familiar.

Everywhere above us, columns of ostensibly infinite length touched the ceiling. The dim blue light emitted from the Hive's reactor never flunked in grieving me with nausea, only in the centre laid the remains of countless lives, and these one were more intact as well.

"…What …the …fuck… there're like- so many body parts left!" Hayase, to her credit remained relatively stable after witnessing such a horrid brutality.

There was no mistake, they weren't the usual brain-in-the-pod Sumika used to be. If only the surplus parts were just the spiral-cords and brains, I could laugh it off as a joke. Seeing this was a bit on the jarring side of my psychology.

There were faces, limbs, muscles and bones left attached on the technically alive bodies. Whether the decomposition was halted or never intended to finish was beyond me, however, those things were undoubtedly former humans.

"Fucking hell… this shit be like JFK all over again… what the fuck are you aliens doing…!?"

"Huh-? What're you talking about, Shirogane?"

"Oh- nah, that was my equivalent to a Nam flashback. Unrelated stuff." A loose grip on my conscious let slip an unnecessary remark.

"Whatever… so this, what should we do with this?"

"Nothing, what can you do with a pile of bodies?"

"But…! I dunno! Is there something we can do for these people!?" Was it naivety or stupidity, I couldn't tell.

"Hayase, stop. They're dead. Ain't nobody got the time to bury them all fancy-like, let's get a move on."

"Ahaa… damn it! Is there nobody I can save…!?" Her grievance was largely ignored, all of us held regrets we were incapable of reverting.

While Hayase was taking in the reality bit by bit, I had more urgent matters to attend to, one of them being discovering exactly why this cave caught her interest and how. Unless what the girl wanted to show me was this, then that was a whole other nest of troubles.

"Yo, look in that direction… you seeing what I'm seeing?" It wasn't a test finding Hayase's metaphorical gold.

Rooted onto the rocky surfaces were countless dots, flashing a wispy soft sapphire flare we didn't notice on our way in. Shining dimly like stars in the night's sky, the cherished deposit that was the lifeblood of our hated foes laid exposed to collection.

"…Is that… all G-Element?! All this!?" The walls, the ceilings; on closer inspection, even I realized the few chucks of visible sediments weren't the only goodies we found.

"Jesus, I think there's at least a hundred kilograms down here… they're scattered but everywhere, all this money! Let me tag this location the map for now, the clean-up crew can loot it after we get this Hive. Hayase, we struck real rich this time, baby! Think of all the resea—" Her response wasn't what I anticipated.

As if blankly peering into the abyss, Hayase's thousand-yard stare was stripped of any energy. The feet of her Shiranui tripped forward sluggishly, her attention was solely attracted to the pile of G-Element laying stationary in front of her. And from her gaping mouth, I could unmistakably distinguish a tiny string of drool.

"-Aaaah… haaah…" My team partner was completely unresponsive to her surroundings.

"Hey, Hayase? You okay over there?" Her out-of-line action forced me to take my own, this was starting to become unsettling.

However, Hayase had no intention of stopping her pace. She was slowly but surely inching closer and closer to the stack of alien rocks.

"Hayase! What do you think you're doing!? Get your shit together!" I got a hold of the Type-94's shoulder and pulled back her frame to face me properly, the reaction from its blitzed pilot was less than welcoming.

"No, no, stop it! Let go of me! …It's so close over there! Just let me have some more! I'm too hungry to keep going! Leave me be already!" She feebly fought back, the TSF's movements were stiff and unskilful.

"What the hell's your problem, HAYASE!? You trying to jerk me around or something!?" The moderate fright haunting my conscious was magnifying by every passing second. There was something wrong with Hayase, and I couldn't do anything to lessen her ache.

"NO! Just- please let me go! It's too much! This's just ALL TOO MUCH, TAKAYUKI!"

That wasn't my name, she didn't even shout my name.

I actually didn't realized what I was doing until much later, I seized control Hayase's TSF almost immediately and dosed her with stims injected from the fortified suit. Her response was lacking in comparison to her earlier emotions, even though she didn't put up a real fight prior to receiving the full-blunt of a hypnotic suggestion.

"…Jesus…! Hayase! You calmed down now!?" Her fervent gaze turned back to the dead vacant look from earlier, this time was due to the drugs pumped into her bloodstream.

"Ah… ah… Shirogane? -Uuuugrra… my head… it hurts… what… happened?" On the flip-side, her heart-rate and blood pressure both went normal, plus recognizing me was a cherry on top.

"Goddamn it… I can't do this, we're done here professionally, I'm locking your weapon system until we're outta this shithole. I'm not dealing with your crap." This angered me on so many levels. Not only was Hayase having a mental breakdown right in the middle of a Hive operation, I was unable to aid her recovery in any form.

"What!? No-no! You can't do that to me!"

"Oh, I so totally can do that to you, dumbass! Do you even realize what you were doing?!"

"I…! I-I saw this… this thing- it was in my head… Something was calling out to me and- and then I felt very hungry… for some reason." What she described was not in my database of experience learned from time-hopping.

"I don't know what that means and I don't like what it sounds like. Being very serious right now, Hayase; you got a problem in your head and I can't solve it right now, the Professor will hook you up once we hit home, so until then I'm locking you down."

"Grrr… alright, you made your point." There was not much room for debate in the first place.

With a few button clicks, I took over Hayase's TSF system to avoid any potential incidents in the future, the girl was obvious reluctant to hand over the freedom to one of her few joys in life, but we had to consider the bigger picture here.

"We're heading back to the main group now, follow me closely and no bullshit."

"Okay… just make sure to help me afterwards, please?" The Hayase right now was looking very so vulnerable.

"Yeah, you'll be fine, girl. I won't let anything happen to you, promise."

Author's note

Wow, you thought I was dead? Well I'm dead inside so it's not that different. Spent lots time working on me other story, it's for Schwarzesmarken, you can probably find it somewhere.

A few things, the omake from last time, I thought it was smart until it wasn't anymore. The person is Beatrix, BTW, (also best girl, unless you got shit-taste) but if you don't know who that is there's really no reason to look for it. SM's over anyway. After consideration, it's pretty weird to have her in this story, so that's why I wrote another one.

Overall, omakes aren't canon, but this one definitely isn't, until I say it is.

Merry Christmas, people, it's one da— it's two days late but you'll like it anyway.

BETA done by chad001